Folding anchor breaking device



Filed July 6, 1958 S K E m P m T m V v! .R E H v1 9 B Z w 2 4 2 3 ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 24, 1939 NlTEl) STATES PATENT OFFl-QE 6 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 3'70 0. G. 757) This invention relates to a folding :anchor breaking or releasing :device, and has for an object to provide means for easily breaking a foldi-ng anchor so that it be folded up and put away in storage to occupy a minimum amount of space.

Reference is had to the anchor disclosed in United States Patent 29375327 of April 6, 1937, which shows a folding anchor of the type for go which this invention is generally intended, although it is equally applicable to any other folding anchor wherein the cross-arms and fluke arms are held operative position by means of spring tongues :on one of the arms cooperating 35 with etents or recesses on the other of the arms.

In folding anchors of this general type which are especialiy intendedfor use in seaplane service or in like watercraft service, one defect has been apparent, that is, it is difiicult to break for so folding it, especially when the operator may be standing on a skimpy platf rm on the side of a flying boat hull. A screwdriver or other leverlike implement is often used for this purpose, but there is extreme difficulty in performing the operation satisfactorily well as the possibility of losing the implement overboard.

t is an object of this invention to provide a breaking or releasing device taldng the place of the screwdriver or other lever-like implement,

which performs the breaking or releasing operation much more easily and readily, and yet cannot be lost, inasmuch as this breaking device is a permanent attachment of the anchor, out of the way when the breaking device is not being 35 operated, yet instantly available for service whenever needed for this particular purpose.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter 40 described and illustrated in the drawing, in

which,

Fig. l is an elevational view of a folding anchor to which this invention has been applied;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View on line 22 of Fig.

1, and

Fig. 3 is a sectional View on line 33 of Fig. 2.

There is shown at it the folding anchor to which this invention has been applied and comprises the shank ii, U-shaped in cross section,

50 at one end of which is a cable attaching shackle l2. At the other end of the shank II are hinged the fluke arms l3 by means of bolts and nuts I4, which bolts and nuts l4 also serve as securing means for the U beams I5 to which are pivoted 55 U-shaped brackets It by bolts and nuts 22 carto pass through the reduced recesses 29, but are l small enough to pass through the enlarged recesses 2!. As long as the spring head 49 is in the reduced recess the cross-arms H are held locked in operative position against pivoting about the bolts nuts 22. The sides of the brackets it are provided with extending tongues 23, while the ends of the fluke arms ii; are provided with suitably placed apertures 24, through which the tongues 23 extend, thus holding the fluke arms it locked against pivoting about no bolts it.

To release or break the anchor for folding, it 'is necessary for the spring heads 18 to be depressed until the spring tabs i8 leave the reduced recesses sand the spring head is is in a posi- 25 tion to pass through the enlarged recess 2! in the shank ll, thus allowing the cross-arms ll to be pivoted against the shank H. When both cr osr-arn'rs have thus been pivoted, both fluke arms F3 are released for pivoting, due to the withdrawal of the tongues 23 from the apertures 24.

This invention is intended to facilitate the depression of the spring head I!) to the position to pass through the enlarged recess 2|. Slid- 5 ably pivoted. on one of the bolts I4 is a lever 25 provided at one end with a clip 26 for securing it in inoperative position to the side of one of the fluke arms i3. On the other side of the bolt it the lever 25 is provided with a foot 21 40 terminating in a cam 28. The length of the foo-t 21 from its pivoting bolt I4 is such that rotation of the lever 25 about such bolt I4 causes the cam 28 to contact the top of the spring head [9 and depress it at least as far as the enlarged recess 2|, thus permitting one of the fluke arms ll to be folded about its pivoting bolt 22. The lever 25 is then slid on its pivoting bolt M to the other side of the fluke arm l3 and the operation is repeated, bringing cam 28 into operation against the spring head L! of the other cross-arm l1, thereby releasing such other crossarm H for pivoting against the shank H, which, as it withdraws its tongues. 23 from the fluke arms l3, finally releases both fluke arms [3 for 56 pivoting toward the shank H, leaving the anchor in folded-up position.

When it is desired to place the anchor in operative position again, the fluke arms l3 are unfolded to a straight angle with each other and then the cross-arms I! are likewise unfolded to a straight angle position with each other, the curved lips 29 raising the spring head [9 through the enlarged recess 2| until the spring tabs 58 may enter into the reduced recesses to thus lock the fluke arms and cross-arm in operative position. The breaking or releasing lever is a permanent part of the anchor, and being held in inoperative position by the clip 25, and does not interfere with the normal operation of the anchor, yet is instantly available when the anchor has been raised preparatory to being folded and stowed away.

Other modifications and changes in the proportions and arrangements of the parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the nature of the invention, within the scope of What is hereinafter claimed.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. For use with a folding anchor of the type having arms pivoted to the shank and having a spring member with an enlarged head on one of said arms adapted to extend through a reduced recess for holding said arm in operative anchor position, an anchor breaking device comprising a lever pivoted to said shank and a cam member extending from said lever adapted to depress the spring to release the spring head from the reduced recess when the lever is rotated about its pivot.

2. For use with a folding anchor of the type having arms pivoted to the shank and having a spring member with an enlarged head on one of said arms adapted to extend through a reduced recess for holding said arm in operative anchor position, an anchor breaking device comprising a lever pivoted to said shank, a cam member extending from said lever adapted to depress the spring from the reduced recess when the lever is rotated about its pivot, and a clip member formed on the other end of said lever adapted to cooperate with one of said cross-arms for holding said lever in inoperative position.

3. For use with a folding anchor of the type having arms pivoted to the shank and having a spring member with an enlarged head on one of said arms adapted to extend through a reduced recess for holding said arm in operative anchor position, an anchor breaking device comprising a lever pivoted to said shank, a cam member extending from said lever adapted to depress the spring from the reduced recess when the lever is rotated about its pivot, and a clip member formed on the other end of said lever adapted to cooperate with one of said cross-arms for holding said lever in inoperative position, the pivoting means for said lever on the shank being one of the pivot bolts for one of the anchor arms, said lever being slidable on such pivot bolt to place said cam in spring-releasing position at either side thereof.

4. In combination with a folding anchor having pivoted arms held in anchor position by a T spring having its head extended into a recess in the anchor shank, a breaking device comprising a lever fixedly fulcrumed on one of the arms pivots and a cam on said lever adapted to depress said T spring head out of its recess when said lever is rotated to thereby break the folding anchor.

5. In combination with a folding anchor having pivoted arms held in anchor position by a T spring having its head extended into a recess in the anchor shank, a breaking device comprising a lever fixedly fulcrumed on one of the arms pivots and a cam on said lever adapted to depress said T spring head out of its recess when said lever is rotated to thereby break the folding anchor and means on said lever to cooperate with one of said anchor arms to hold said lever in inoperative position.

6. A breaking device for a folding anchor, said anchor having pivoted arms held from folding by a spring, said breaking device being pivoted on one of the anchor arm pivots, cam means on one end of said breaking device adapted to release the spring when said breaking device is pivoted, and means on the other end of the breaking device for releasably holding the breaking device in position convenient for use.

HENRY R. WEEKS. 

